Combination notebook and bookstand



Jan.30, 1 968 'HgpwoLF ETAL 3,366,359

COMBINATION NOTEBOOK AND BOOKSTAND Filed Oct. 24, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1- INVENTORS HAROLD H. WoLF v koae a'rw. Semen I Y ATWS.

Jan. 30, 1968' H. H. WOLF ET AL v COMBINATION NOTEBOOK AND BOOKSTAND 2 Sheets:Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 24, 1965 R Swim AHA m m w vm mH 5 V N I HAROLD MM. lan; Q

United States Patent 3,356,359 QMBINATH9N NOTEBQOK AND BOOKSTAND Harold H. Wolf, Highland Park, and Robert W. Schier, Northbrook, IlL, assignors to Feldco-Major, Ind, Chi cago, 111., a corporation of Iliinois Filed Get. 24, 1965, Ser. No. 504,383 Claims. (Cl. 248-447) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLGSURE A notebook including front and back covers, a spine hinged to the inner margins of the covers, and a rigid ring holder strip secured to the inside of the spine between said covers is combined with a bookstand having an upwardly extending back rest-forming portion which forms a back rest for an upstanding book and a slide carrying the back rest forming portion, the slide being mounted for movement parallel to and along the ring holder strip between an operative extending upper position where the back rest is spaced substantially from the upper margins of the notebook and an inoperative lower retracted position within the upper margin of the notebook where the bookstand is near the margin of the notebook where it is less noticeable. The back rest-forming portion of the bookstand is made of separable parts having respective inoperative positions where, in the retracted position of the slide, they respectively extend along the front and back covers of the notebook, and operative positions where they are in upwardly extending and confronting relation when the notebook is in an open position with the spine thereof resting on a support surface.

This invention relates to a notebook and bookstand which are uniquely integrated into a unitary structure where the bookstand supports an open book in an upright position where the user can conveniently make notes in the notebook on the information contained in the book.

One object of the invention is to provide a combination notebook and bookstand whose functions complement each other in the manner described above.

Another object of the invention is to provide a combination notebook and bookstand as just described where the overall size of the combination is not much different than the size of the notebook. A related object of the invention is to provide a combination notebook and bookstand as described where the notebook is of a type having front and rear covers and a spine hinged to the inner margins of the covers so that the covers can be folded back to open the notebook and can be brought into confronting relation to close the notebook, and further wherein the bookstand is so related to the notebook that it is hardly noticeable when not in use, and it can be readily and quickly brought into a usable position.

An overall object of the invention is to provide a combined notebook and bookstand as described which can be manufactured at minimum cost.

The most useful form of the invention is in connection with a conventional two or three ring notebook comprising front and back covers, a spine hinged to the inner margins of the covers and a notebook ring fixture, usually in the form of an elongated metal strip, secured to the inner surface of the spine. The ring fixture (or ring holder strip as it will hereinafter be referred to) is anchored to the spine of the notebook by rivets passing through the spine and ring holder strip at the upper and lower ends thereof.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the bookstand is secured to the upper portion of the notebook and includes a back-rest forming portion which,

3,3fib,359 Patented Jan. 30, 1968 'ice when the notebook is opened and resting on a fiat horizontal surface, provides a back rest for a book stood on its edge and preferably inclining rearwardly and upwardly at a small angle to the vertical, so that the user can readily read from the book and then make notes on the sheets of notebook paper in the notebook, without requiring any shifting in the position of the users head or body, as is usually necessary.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the bookstand can be integrated into a notebook of conventional construction and in a manner where it is hardly noticeable when the bookstand is not in use. In the most preferred form of the invention, the bookstand comprises a slide portion which is mounted for movement parallel to and along the ring holder strip between an extended upper position where it projects substantially above the upper margin of the notebook and a retracted lower position at or within the upper margin of the notebook. The upper end of the slide portion of the bookstand advantageously carries a pair of foldable back rest forming arms.

When the bookstand is not in use, the slide is in its lower position and the arms of the bookstand are folded respectively along the rear and front covers of the notebook. Each arm may be anchored to the respective covers of the notebook by a snap fastener or, more desirably, by means of a channel formed in the arm which frictionally engages around the upper edge of the notebook cover. When the bookstand is to be used, the slide is moved to its upper extended position, and the arms are folded and locked into confronting relation where they form an upstanding back rest for an open book preferably inclining slightly rearwardly and upwardly.

In the most advantageous form of the invention, there is provided at the top of the ring holder strip a book stop which, in the extended position of the slide portion of the bookstand, is spaced from the back rest forming portion of the bookstand and defines therewith a book-receiving space into which an open book can be placed and supported in an open upright position. The book stop also keeps the pages of the book from springing forward.

Other objects, advantages and features of the invention will become apparent by making reference to the specification to follow, the claims and the drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing in solid lines the combination notebook and bookstand of the invention when the notebook is opened and the bookstand is in its retracted unusable position. The bookstand is shown in dashed lines in an upper extended position prior to the back rest-forming portion thereof;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the bookstand in an upright usable position;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged and elevational view of the bookstand with the back rest-forming arms thereof in an unfolded condition just prior to being folded into an upright position;

FIG. 4 is an end elevational view of the bookstand shown in FIG. 3 when the back rest-forming portion thereof is folded into a vertical book supporting position;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view through the spine of the notebook and the slide portion of the bookstand, taken along section line 55 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional View taken substantially along the line 6-6 in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a greatly enlarged fragmentary view showing the hinge between the back rest-forming portion and the slide portion of the bookstand; and

FIG. 8 is a horizontal sectional view through the interlocked back rest-forming arms of the bookstand, as taken along section line 88 in FIG. 4.

Referring now more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2, the

exemplary form of the invention there shown is applied to conventional three-ring notebooks generally indicated by reference numeral 2. The notebook has front and rear covers 4 and 4f, and a spine 6 to which the covers 4 and 4' are hinged. A ringholder strip 8 is secured to the upper and lower ends of the inside of the spine 6 by rivets 14-14 passing through the spine and ring holder strip. The ring holder strip carries the usual pairs of separable ring halves lila-lfla. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the invention deals with the combination of a bookstand 2 with the notebook. The bookstand is preferably related to the notebook in such a way that it is hardly noticeable When not in use. To this end, the bookstand 2% includes a back rest-forming arms a-20a' which are normally movably secured to the upper margins of the front and rear covers of the notebook, and a slide 20b slidably mounted along the ring holder strip for movement between a retracted position shown in FIG. 1 and an extended position shown in FIG. 2. The entire bookstand can be made as a single molded part of synthetic plastic material where the arms 20a and 20a are joined to the slide 2017 through a very thin section 23 (FIGS. 3 and 7) forming hinges which permit the arms 28 to be folded into confronting relation, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4.

Each of the arms 20a or 20a preferably has a pair of spaced forwardly extending walls 24-26 or 24'-26' which define therebetween a channel 28 or 28' (FIGS. 6 and 8) adapted frictionally to receive the upper margins of the associated notebook covers 4 or 4'. The walls 26 or 26 are relatively narrow walls which are connected to the associated wall 24 or 24 by a rear wall or web 30 or 30 which closes the rear end of the channel 28 or 28 and extends inwardly or upwardly beyond the wall 24 or 24. The channel 28 or 28' opens toward the upper margin of the associated cover 4 or 4' and, when the slide 2012 of the bookstand is retracted downwardly, the upper margins of the covers 4 or 4 are received snugly within the associated channels 28 or 28' of the bookstand frictionally to hold the bookstand in the retracted position.

The walls 24 and 24' of the bookstand arms 20a and 20a are relatively wide at the base end portion thereof and taper toward the outside of the arms to provide inclined forwardly facing edges 32 and 32. When the arms 20a and 20a are brought into confronting relation, the edges 32 and 32 meet in a common plane which angles slightly upwardly and rearwardly of the vertical, as best shown in FIG. 2. The arms thus form a back rest for an open vertically oriented book.

The ends of the bookstand arms 241a and 20a terminate in enlarged heads 36-36. The head 36 of the bookstand arm 20a has a split pin 38 extending therefrom which pin is adapted to make frictional engagement with the defining walls of a correspondingly shaped and sized socket 38 in the arm head 36 when the arms 20a and 20a are brought into confronting relation.

The slide 201) of the bookstand includes a main body portion 40 which has a pair of outwardly upwardly extending longitudinal ribs 42-42 (FIG. 6) which make sliding engagement with the outer margins 44-44 of the shield portion 48 of the ring holder strip 8. The main body portion 40 of the slide 20b joins the walls 2424 of the bookstand arms 20a-20a' at the aforesaid thin walled hinge-forming portions 23-23 of the bookstand.

The body portion 46 of the slide has a pair of upwardly extending longitudinal inner ribs 5tl-50 whose inner confronting surfaces are spaced apart a distance to engage a narrower ring holder strip (not shown) and thus be useful in the construction of a combined notebook and bookstand where the notebook has a narrower ring the opening 52 being just sufiiciently long to permit the slide to be moved between the aforesaid extended and retracted positions (FIG. 1). The rivet 14 also anchors the ring holder strip 8 to the spine 6 and permanently aifixes the slide 2% of the bookstand to the notebook.

The body portion 46 of the slide 20b terminates in an upstanding extending handle 54 having PULL imprinted on the outside of the handle to inform the user that he is to grip the hand1e54 and pull the same outwardly to position the bookstand for use. In so doing, the bookstand arms are pulled from frictional engageent with the upper margins of the notebook covers and the back rest-forming arms 20a-20a of the notebook are spaced appreciably from the upper margin of the notebook. The stand is then ready for use following the folding of the arms 20a and 20a into confronting relation where the pin 38 of the arm 20a passes mro the socket 38 of the arm 20a. In the extended position of the slide 2912, a book 35 (FIG. 2) can be placed upon the portion of the slide 20b projecting above the upper margins of the notebook covers with the aforesaid edges 32-32 of the arms 20a-2ila' constituting a back rest for the book.

In the preferred form of the invention, a book stop 56 extends upwardly from the upper end portion of the ring holder strip 8 to engage the forwardly facing portions of the book 35. The side of the book stop facing the book preferably has a forwardly projecting edge or rib 58 which is aligned with the fold line between the opposite pages of the book.

The book stop 56 is most advantageously secured to the notebook by means of the upper rivet 14 which passes through an enlarged boss 60 (see FIG. 5) forming part of the book stop 56. An arm 62 connects the boss 60 to the book stop 56 which is positioned beyond the end of the ring holder strip 8. A flanged sleeve 63 is shown positioned between the rivet 14 and the boss 60.

It is apparent that the book 35 is supported by the bookstand 20 in a very convenient upstanding position above the upper margin of the notebook where the user can conveniently make notes on the sheets 12 of the notebook paper on the material in the book. Moreover, as above indicated, the construction of the bookstand and its relationship to the notebook is such that the bookstand can be folded out of the way when the bookstand is not in use, and can be quickly and easily moved into a book supporting position. Moreover, the construction of the bookstand is such that it can be made very economically so that it has a wide market appeal.

It should be understood that numerous modifications may be made in the most preferred form of the invention described above without deviating from the broader aspects of the invention.

We claim:

1. In combination with a notebook, a bookstand attached to the upper end of the notebook and including front and back covers, a spine hinged to the inner margins of the covers whereby the covers can be moved between book opening and book closing positions, a ring holder strip secured to the inside of the spine between said covers, an upwardly extending back rest-forming portion which forms a back rest for an upstanding open book at the upper margin of the notebook, a slide carrying at the upper end there-of said back rest-forming portion of the bookstand, said slide being mounted for movement par allel to and along said ring holder strip and between an operative extended upper position where the back restforming portion of the bookstand is spaced substantially from the upper margin of the notebook and an inoperative retracted lower position at or within the upper margin of the notebook where the bookstand is near the margin of the notebook where it is less noticeable, said ring holder strip being secured in place to the spine of the notebook by a rivet having a shank portion extending through the spine and one of the ring holder strips and said bookstand slide having an elongated slot through which the shank portion of the rivet extends to permit sliding movement of the bookstand slide between said extended and retracted positions.

2. In combination with a notebook, a bookstand attached to the upper end of the notebook and including front and back covers, a spine hinged to the inner margins of the covers whereby the covers can be moved between book opening and book closing positions, a ring holder strip secured to the inside of the spine between said covers, an upwardly extending back rest-forming portion which forms a back rest for an upstanding open book at the upper margin of the notebook, a slide carrying at the upper end thereof said back rest-forming portion of the bookstand, and said slide being mounted for movement parallel to and along said ring holder strip and between an operative extended upper position where the back rest-forming portion of the bookstand is spaced substantially from the upper margin of the notebook and an inoperative retracted lower position at or within the upper margin of the notebook where the bookstand is near the margin of the notebook where it is less noticeable, said back rest-forming portion of the bookstand being made of separable parts having respective inoperative positions where, in the retracted position of the slide,

they respectively extend along the front and back covers of the notebook, and operative positions where they are in upwardly extending and confronting relation when the notebook is in an open position with the spine thereof resting on a support surface.

3. The combination of claim 2 wherein said separable back rest-forming parts are hinged to the bookstand slide.

4. The combination of claim 2 wherein each of said parts of the back rest-forming portion of the book stand has means for respectively releasably anchoring the same against the front and back covers of the notebook.

5. The combination of claim 4 wherein said last mentioned means comprises a back rest-forming channel in the part involved which channel has defining walls which frictionally engage over the edge of the upper margin of the associated cover of the notebook.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,278,619 9/1918 Fant 28 X 1,911,823 5/ 1933 Harrison 248-447 1,936,489 11/ 1933 Thomson 281-42 CHANCELLOR E. HARRIS, Primary Examiner. 

